Health Problems of Students during Distance Learning in Central and Eastern Europe: A Cross-Sectional Study of Poland and Ukraine

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly disrupted the functioning of society. Issues of deteriorating health were among the main problems resulting from restrictions such as self-isolation, social distancing, and remote education. The aim of this research was to attempt to probe the psychophysical condition of students after more than a year of remote education. The survey method (CAPI) was used to collect the data on a representative sample of 1000 students in Poland and 1022 in Ukraine. The research sample was selected in a randomly stratified manner, taking into account such characteristics as: gender, age, and place of residence. The results of the research showed that 44% of Polish and 50% of Ukrainian students experienced health problems. The burden of remote education mainly contributed to the reduction of physical fitness. Young Poles more often paid attention to the deterioration of mental well-being, and Ukrainians to the deterioration of their physical condition. Based on the conducted analyses, it was also established that health problems appeared more often among the females, students with lower social support and with lower trust levels. The main risk factors were Internet addiction, secondary effects of the pandemic, and negative remote education experiences. Research has shown that remote education and problems that arise in students’ households during the pandemic may have significantly contributed to the deterioration of their psychophysical condition.